Bug Squad

What happened in our pollinator garden on June 3 probably would have promoted a standing ovation from agriculturists who grow cotton, strawberries, sugarbeets, tomatoes, beans, safflower, potatoes, and other crops. A crab spider nailed a major pest, a lygus bug, Lygus hesperus.

Katydids did it. When it comes to the best of the industrial-strength shredding machines, they're it. The nymphs have been feeding our Iceland poppies, chewing incredible holes in petal after petal, and then looking around for more. They leave behind what looks like shredded cabbage.

"Honey is bee vomit!" "Honey is bee barf!" How many times have you heard that? Strong-willed arguments flash rapidly, pointedly and furiously, much like guard bees defending their colony in the fall from would-be robbers.

It's an incredible photo.

Some folks refer to them as "those big, black scary bumble bees." They're not bumble bees. They're not scary. But well, they ARE big. About an inch long. The Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) is the largest bee in California. The female is solid black with metallic wings.